Arlington candidate has homestead exemption in Mansfield. Why city kept him on ballot
Instead of discussing campaign platforms or constituent needs, candidates for Arlington’s District 5 City Council seat have spent much of their time addressing one question: Is the Rev. Kennedy Jones eligible to run for the seat?
Jones, pastor of Greater Community Missionary Baptist Church, engineer and long-active local figure, is registered to vote in the district representing East Arlington and used the same address to file in the race. However, his homestead tax exemption, normally dedicated to a person’s main home, is in Mansfield, according to the Tarrant Appraisal District.
Donna Ressl, an Arlington resident, filed a complaint Feb. 26, along with a printout of appraisal records on both homes, public property tax letters and his candidate filing record, according to records given to the Star-Telegram.
“I do not want a representative that does not live in my district,” Ressl said in a phone interview.
The documents, however, do not prove Jones lives outside of Arlington, city Secretary Alex Busken said in a March 4 response to the complaint. The secretary’s office is only able to declare a candidate ineligible if it receives public documents that expressly state a candidate is ineligible.
Additionally, the homestead exemption does not establish residence when determining voter registration or candidate eligibility.
Rebecca Boxall, Jones’ opponent in the two-person race, said she worries that current election provisions may allow people to register in outside single-member districts. Boxall, an architect on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said she sees the issue as a problematic precedent rather than qualms with her opponent.
“I just see that as a problem going forward. I don’t know what the answer is, but I’d like to look into what could be done about that,” Boxall said.
Jones said in a phone call that he has houses in Alabama and Houston as well as Arlington and Mansfield; however, he considers his Arlington home his primary residence. He did not adjust his homestead exemption, he said, because it was not required for his voter registration.
State tax codes require homeowners to sign a statement affirming the address in their exemption application is their primary residence, according to a spokesperson with the state comptroller’s office. Those who claim a homestead exemption on a non-primary residence risk having their exemption canceled and paying back assessments for up to five years on their property.
Candidates want to return to east Arlington issues
The claims about his residency, Jones said, began in 2019 as a way to “cloud the issues” surrounding his first run. Jones garnered the least votes in the race and did not advance to the runoff that Dr. Ignacio Nunez would win.
Jones’ priorities this election cycle, according to his campaign website, include affordable housing, early childhood education, reducing drug trafficking in neighborhoods and transportation. Aside from his role in founding his church in 1991, he co-chairs an Arlington NAACP committee, served on the Unity Council and leads the Arlington Ministerial Association.
“Those are the things that I’m running on — things I’ve actually done,” Jones said. “They are concerned about where I lay my head at night. Now, I suggest if you’re concerned about that, come up there and see me.”
In addition to serving on committees and in neighborhood organizations, Boxall was appointed to the city Planning and Zoning Commission in 2019 and is a former president of Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Association, a community group.
Boxall’s key platforms include diversifying available housing to keep up with rising populations and improving safety and roadways.
However, Boxall said people have been more interested in discussing concerns about Jones’ residency rather than east Arlington issues.
“It hurts me, it also hurts the other candidates and it also hurts the citizens, because they don’t get to here what my positions are, they just get to hear about this issue, which is unfortunate,” Boxall said.
Nearly two dozen have filed to run for mayor and City Council districts 3, 4, 5 and 8. Early voting is April 19 through 27, and election day is May 1.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
